Another two weeks down and another few things worth noting.
High Desert Omnium
I did this event a few years back and had a chance to get back down to Bend for it again this year. I almost didn’t after being hit by a car two nights before it, but that turned out to be a non-issue. Ugh.
Left home early Saturday morning to arrive shortly before the time trial and the Bend Municipal Airport. I did pretty well in the TT last time, TT seems to be a strength for me, and I had an actual TT bike so I was pretty stoked for this. Any other year, I would have likely won this stage with my 27mph average, but the group was exceedingly strong this year and I was only able to nab 4th. Worth noting, the top two guys in my category would have been very competitive/almost assuredly podiums for the weekend in the Pro/1/2 field. Triathletes and time trialers aren’t handled very well in the cycling upgrade system, but that’s life in 4/5.
That afternoon following lunch and some rest, we made our way back to the airport for the criterium. I hate criteriums. High speeds, lots of turns, lots of traffic. I hate them lots. Since I hate them so much, I typically dangle off the back of the group, which is a great way to waste tons of energy as the yo-yo effect (any sort of slowdown ahead is multiplied the further back you are, which causes you to have to work a lot harder to get back up to speed) is real, but it’s where I’m comfortable so it’s where I stay and how I lose. Luckily, this time it proved a saving grace as there was a nasty crash that took out most of the group about halfway through. Being on the back, I had plenty of time to recognize the crash and avoid it. About six of us were lucky enough to miss the mess, I tried to hold onto the top few strong guys, failed, and was happy with another 4th. Despite EMS showing up, everyone was relatively okay following the crash. A separated shoulder, a smashed helmet, some trashed lycra, and a stiff neck were the results.
The next morning we made our way up to the Edison Sno-Park for a relatively flat 100km race in the mountains. It’s a funny race that keeps on dragging on with everything being decided in the final 5-6 miles, which is an increasing ramp up to the finish. There was some shuffling of the pack on the final hill, I recognized the stronger guys, when they made a move I followed, held onto them for a good bit, and was able to score yet another 4th with solid gaps in front and behind. It was a really strong finish and I’m really happy with it. Of note, the top four finishers in my 4/5 race were only beat up the final hill of the day by the winner of the Pro/1/2 race. Yeah, strong group.
When all was said and done, my three 4th place finishes placed me in 3rd overall for the weekend a good bit [in the points] behind those two guys that absolutely crushed the field in everything. I returned home with a 12oz Hydroflask Coffee Mug for my efforts ($60, lots of calories, $40 in gas, an entire weekend). Bike racing is good.
June Short Track
In case you’ve not been paying attention, I’ve been making a strong effort to get better at mountain biking this year. Part of that was committing to the Short Track series, which runs June through July. The last time I did this event, I was close to dead last. A year later and it’s clear my work has paid off by winning Cat 2 for the month of June. I didn’t win any races outright so I’m not smashing the field and in the wrong class (the one time I was leading I got lost, was passed by five riders before figuring out my way, and passed all but one of them back), but I’ve been consistent with 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 2nd place finishes so my point gap is pretty large. Hoping I can hold it through July and win a 12-pack instead of a 6-pack 😉 Yes, I also may have too much fun with the photographer.
Mount Adams Summit Attempt
On July 4th a few friends and I made an attempt to summit Mount Adams. It didn’t go as planned, but part of the group followed Rule #1 of mountaineering (when in doubt, bail) and made the most of our day with eating and drinking our way home.
This is pretty much a 1.5 day hike (you have to start stupid early or camp halfway up) so we did end up spending the night on the mountain so +1 to my nights spent outside this year.
The plan is to give it another go perhaps at the end of the month. Going to be a long and grueling day.
Mount Tabor Series
Since the start of June I’ve also been racing up and down Mount Tabor almost every Wednesday night. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the series very much with a generally sloppy group, some peculiar officiating, and bogus series prize decisions (1st place Pro/1/2 female received the same $20 as 5th place in Men’s 5), but I digress. When I had a decent race I fared pretty well, but more often than not I was left shaking my head and unsatisfied, and for that reason I had no qualms missing a few races. Still, good enough for 8th overall. Not sure I’ll be committing to the series much next year.
This slotted nicely into my training “plan” for Leadville (the plan is to ride a lot, mountain bike a lot, and ramp race distance up to 100 miles via other races). This was my first endurance race in the plan and it clocked in at 45 miles and 7000ft of climbing over some technical and difficult terrain on the east side of Mount Hood. It was a small/unsanctioned/fun race so results didn’t really matter, but they were collected on the honor system and of course I got 4th… my favorite place. The trails were absolutely amazing and it was great to learn of them. Much more technical than I’ll be facing in Tahoe or Leadville, but the length of time and amount of effort were really good at helping me figure out my hydration and nutrition needs, and to dial the bike and myself in for long efforts.
Half the field was my team, which was really awesome. I’m hoping to plan a camping weekend around the event next year.
My moving time was 5:15, which I’m very pleased with considering the terrain. Overall time more like 5:24 with two stops for mechanical issues (shifter almost fell off and a cleat twisted when I slammed a rock with my pedal). Apparently I’m also really talented at hiking my bike as I scored a Top 5 all-time time more or less walking up an unridable hill for roughly an hour. Hells yeah!
Biggest accomplishment other than my hiking ability? No real injuries. Spending five and a half hours on a mountain bike comes with its share of bumps, bruises, and minor cuts, but that was it.
We washed the race down with impromptu/undie bathing in the freezing cold Hood River and some beers at Mount Hood Brewing.
What’s Next
Later this week I hop in the car to head to Tahoe for the Tahoe Trail 100. This is a corral qualifier (so I don’t have to start at the back of the pack and deal with traffic all day) for Leadville and is apparently 75% fire-road – great for my abilities, and very similar to Leadville. Very excited for this.
Following that, another weekend in Bend to hang out with Molly and listen to some music, maybe another attempt at Mount Adams, and then… another long road trip, but this time to Leadville… the crux of my year. So soon! Already kind of feeling it in my gut. I’ll be fine. I think.
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[…] Leadville and in increasing length. I would go on to compete in a full season of Short Track, the Mount Hood Endurance Classic, and Tahoe Trail 100, the latter of which was a great simulation for the big day. It also provided […]